Owners of a USA TODAY Bar of the Year purchase landmark Stanley's Tavern

Stanley's Tavern owner Steve Torpey has sold the historic Brandywine Hundred sports bar and restaurant to the restaurant group that runs the McGlynn's Taverns and the Deer Park Tavern .

Ashby Hospitality Group, whose Newark bar the Deer Park Tavern was just named a 2024 USA TODAY Bar of the Year , has taken over operations. In addition to the Deer Park, the group runs four McGlynn restaurants in Pike Creek, Bear, Dover and Greenville and Cantwell's Tavern in Odessa.

Stanley's has been a staple of the community for almost 90 years. Torpey had run the landmark business at 2038 Foulk Road for more than 40 years.

Torpey has known the Ashby family for more than 45 years. He worked with Ashby Hospitality Group founders Bob and Sandy Ashby at the former HA Winston’s in the Independence Mall shopping center off Concord Pike. They also have been Delaware Restaurant Association members.

"It is most gratifying to see this restaurant stay in the 'family' so to speak," Sandy Ashby wrote in a Facebook post.

Ashby's son Marc and his business partner, Jeremy Hughes, now run Ashby Hospitality Group.

Stanley's, one of the state's best-known sports bars, wasn't always Stanley's. When it opened in 1935, it was originally called Bill's Place, run by Bill Patton.

Former Browntown resident Stanley Minakowski took over in 1947 and Stanley's Tavern was born.

The sports theme began in 1972 when the restaurant was purchased by Brooks Armored Car Service founder Bill Brooks Sr., who also owned horses that ran at the now-defunct Brandywine Raceway.

Torpey briefly worked for Brooks and came back to Stanley's in 1982 when it was purchased by a group of dentists. He eventually bought out his partners.

Stanley's has long been a favored spot to watch football and the Philadelphia Eagles are the house team.

Former Eagles linebacker Bill Bergey , a four-time All-Pro who helped the team make the playoffs in 1978 and 1979 and go to the Super Bowl in 1980, has hosted Monday Night Football parties at the restaurant for nearly 40 years.

Bergey is part of the reason why there are 66 items on the popular salad bar. No. 66 was the number Bergey wore on his jersey when he played football for Arkansas State University, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Eagles.

Stanley's had an overhaul in 2019. The makeover was its first since the site's former package store was eliminated in 1995. Workers installed all new floors, tables, chairs, and booths.

The walls were repainted, the lighting upgraded and all the wood paneling was re-stained. There were new TVs over the salad bar and various memorabilia on the walls was removed and some of it was sold at a sale the restaurant.

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The kitchen, the oldest part of the building, which dates back to the 1920s, got new flooring and state-of-the-art equipment.

In 2019, Torpey said while he still worked at Stanley's, he joked his role was owner and "historian."

Stanley’s Tavern "will stay the same great restaurant that you know and love," according to a Facebook post from Ashby Hospitality Group, "but we will add a popcorn machine in true Ashby fashion."

Patricia Talorico writes about food and restaurants. You can find her on Instagram , X and Facebook . Email ptalorico@delawareonline.com . Sign up for her Delaware Eats newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Owners of a USA TODAY Bar of the Year purchase landmark Stanley's Tavern